Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Former US president George Bush and his former counterpart Tony Blair were found guilty of war crimes by the The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal which held a four day hearing in the Malaysia[n capital].

The five panel tribunal unanimously decided that Bush and Blair committed genocide and crimes against peace and humanity when they invaded Iraq in 2003 in blatant violation of international law.

The judges ruled that war against Iraq by both the former heads of states was a flagrant abuse of law, act of aggression which amounted to a mass murder of the Iraqi people.

In their verdict, the judges said that the United States, under the leadership of Bush, forged documents to claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

They further said the findings of the tribunal be made available to members of the Rome Statute and the names of Bush and Blair be entered into a war crimes register.

Both Bush and Blair repeatedly said the so-called war against terror was targeted at terrorists.

Lawyers and human rights activists present here say the verdict by the tribunal is a landmark decision. And the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Foundation said it would lobby the International Criminal Court to charge former US president George Bush and Former British prime minister Tony Blair for war crimes.

The people of Egypt continue to flood Tahrir Square. Protesters are calling for a million man march to show their opposition against the military rule in Egypt. It is reported that approximately 30,000 people have gathered in the Egyptian capital and thousands more are expected to congregate. Here is the latest from Cairo.

On Sunday, trade unionists of GENOP-DEI, the union of the Public Power Corporation, occupied the building issuing the electricity disconnection orders for households that have failed to pay their bills. As of a few weeks ago, the latest bills now include the latest property tax imposed by the government, typically including hundreds of euros per property, making payment for thousands a non-option. The statement by GENOP-DEI follows.

from the first day when the Papandreou government announced that it would turn DEI [the Public Power Corporation] from a servant of the people into a tax collector, that it would use the public good of Electricity as a blackmailing leverage against the poor and the unemployed, we used the most clear terms to denounce this unacceptable decision. With an emergency press conference on September 16th, 2011 we showed the tragic consequences this measure would have not only upon society but also upon DEI itself.

Because for us, the role of the trade unionist cannot be detached from what happens in society.

Because for us syndicalism is a holy cause, we made clear from the first instance that we will use all our powers and with the greek society as ally and forefront to block this unacceptable and criminal decision.

More specifically, at this press conference we had said that in our struggle we would intervene at three stages in order to cancel out this unacceptable decision.

The first stage: to block the bills with the emergency tax from being posted out.

The second stage: in the case that we did not succeed at the first stage, to block all the disconnection orders from reaching all those who cannot afford to pay the emergency tax.

The third and main stage would be that with our bodies, our physical presence, giving a man-to-man struggle in the streets and in the neighbourhood of the entire country we will prevent the electricity from being disconnected from the households of impoverished co-humans of ours.

Concerning the last point, we can today announce that in tens of cities across the country, patrolling groups [have been set up] in co-ordination with labour centres, unions, the local municipalities, social organisations, citizen unions, and wherever they do not exist yet, this is only a matter of days.

Being consistent with what we had said, on October 13 we attempted to block the posting out of the electricity bills. At that time, the management found alternative solutions.

Today, November 20th and despite the ferocious attack we received from the lackeys of the system, one day before the disconnection orders are mailed out, we are are here, at the only point where disconnection orders are mailed out, to the entire country.

We are here because the role of DEI is not that of the tax-collector.

We are here because the public good of electricity cannot be used as a blackmailing leverage.

We are here because those who voted in this despicable law did not even bother to think “but how will the unemployed possibly pay? Will we also cut off their electricity?”

We are here because we refuse to become inhuman murderers of small children and of the sick

We are here because for us no co-human of ours is in abundance

We are here because there is still blood running through our veins

We are here, because humans and their needs are above the markers

We are here to blockade the disconnection orders for the public good of Electricity, without which lives are endangered and no-one can live.

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into highgear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods --merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. Thisyear will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuineconcern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at giftgiving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands.

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit ina shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificatesfrom your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about somehealth improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owneddetail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or abook of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking downthe Benjamines on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful giftreceiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, ordriveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering giftcertificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what abouta half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks thisisn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home townAmericans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck ormotorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of alocal cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy Who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

Donate to a Local Non-Profit, they always have a need for additional fundsat this time of year. What better way to end the year and help lower your income taxes!

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spintheir own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and potteryand beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leaveyour server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet atyour hometown theatre.Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chineselights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, aboutfifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks toburn, leave the mailman, paper carrier, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIGtip.

Donate to your local university in an area of your interest - Theatre,Science, Athletics.You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so thatChina can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring aboutUS, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to followtheir dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about ourcommunities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

Forward this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussiongroups

Photo Credit: Not a DGR Action. Earth First and Rising Tide blockaded a gas-fired power plant construction site in Palm Beach County, Florida in 2008. http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2008/02/19/blockade-shuts-down-south-florida-power-plant-construction-27-arrested/

The Occupy Movement is beautiful. We support it and though we are small, we are participating all over the country. We invite all occupiers to read, give feedback, and if you feel moved to do so to present this at a General Assembly or committee meeting near you.

We invite you to imagine, as many of you already probably have, if thousands of people occupied local refineries, roads, ports, oil and mining extraction sites, etc. – in other words, imagine if people occupied the locations where the 1% destroy the land and exploit humans, all for profit.

Imagine their stock prices falling, their cash flow being interrupted, their ability to get loans and/or expand “production” – a euphemism for converting living beings into dead products – finished.

Imagine if we were able to stop them, stop the 1%. Literally. Not symbolically. We think it can be done if we all do it together. We think it can be done if we all figure out how to do it and if we are willing to make the necessary sacrifices, together.

Here’s one way we could start:

Though we are all part of the 99%, not all of us are impacted the same way.

First and foremost we recognize that nonindigenous people in the US are occupying stolen land in an ongoing genocide that has lasted for centuries.

We affirm our responsibility to stand with indigenous communities who want support, to risk our lives, and give everything we can to protect the land without which none of us have anything.

We also recognize and stand in solidarity with communities of people of color who are also disproportionately impacted by environmental racism, capitalism, and a system of white supremacy.

We recognize that women combat a system of sexism and patriarchy, and we commit to supporting the struggle for gender equality, which is the basis of equality for all.

Our focus will be to stand in solidarity with local indigenous communities, people of color communities, and women in struggle—ask if they would like support and what that support would look like, and share some version of this overall strategy.

Then, based on this information and in collaboration with local communities if all agree, each Occupy General Assembly would decide what they want to target. Or they would call on people to form local affinity groups and those groups would decide the local targets on which they would focus.

Many local affinity groups could conceivably attempt to occupy multiple targets. Strategically, however, it will likely be more successful if occupiers focus on one or two major targets – such as Tar Sands refineries, fracking, coal plants etc. The idea is that if we can successfully shut down a few major targets all over the country, one or two targets per region, people more broadly will see the power they all have and then more targets can be taken on.

To be clear, what we’re envisioning here would mean a massive escalation. It would mean hundreds of thousands of people all over the country leaving behind school, jobs, family, and comfort, to really go for it. To not settle for less than victory. To leave behind symbolic action for good.

One obstacle to making this happen, however, is that as soon as we announce where we would occupy, they would come and would likely remove us immediately, especially if we don’t have enough people there. They won’t want the 1% to lose a damn penny. So, we don’t tell them where we’re going ahead of time. But if we don’t say where we’re going ahead of time, then we can’t get people out by the thousands – and we’re gonna need thousands of people to make this work.

So, here’s an idea: We announce, big time, that some of us are planning on occupying the sites of direct exploitation and destruction. And we say that we’ll need as many of the people who love the Occupy Movement and who are sick and tired of being sick and tired, to come out decisively and to not plan on going home for as long as it takes.

We’d ask all those people to start preparing right away, have their stuff packed, tents, food, money, and a plan for how they can participate and be able to stay for as long as it takes (we’d encourage people to ask their community to support them so they could go for as long it takes) so that as soon as the local Occupy groups would announce targets, perhaps through text messages and other means, those people would be ready to go to the targets at a moment’s notice. This kind of tactic has been used successfully in the past to get lots of people to a location for a blockade while keeping the cops on the run and always one step behind. If we can get enough people to the different locations before the state gets there, we have a chance at holding it until even more people can come.

If there are enough of us who are willing to make the necessary commitment and sacrifice, we believe we need nothing more than our bodies, community support, and the will to keep going to:

Occupy the Machine – Stop the 1%, Literally

Here are some other points that could be helpful:

1) Start Together – The key as we see it would be to start on the same day so that they’re overwhelmed with people going to different locations. They may seem all-powerful sometimes, but they can’t be everywhere at once.

2) Sustained Blockades – this would mean doing what Occupy does so well, stay, day after day after day after day… as long as we can go. For every person they drag away to jail, we must bring ten more to replace them every day. We will cost them as much money as we can with our bodies and our determination. Blockaders will blockade both inside and outside of targets when possible. And they will blockade roads and ports to stop supply lines.

3) Demonstrators/Community Encampments – for those who cannot blockade, the role of the community will be crucial. Demonstrators encamped on the target’s land or nearby will provide support to the blockaders and will be crucial to success.

4) Building Communities of Nonviolent Resistance – For those involved in this who lack a strong, unified community, we must very deliberately build the concrete infrastructure for a community of resistance to support these struggles. This is already happening in many ways. But a systematic approach to creating networks of people who are devoted to supporting occupiers could be the key to success. This will mean legal defense funds and a network of lawyers who will work pro bono or for a reduced fee. This will also mean arranging transition housing – places for people to stay after they are released if they are jailed for long periods of time. It will mean relentless fundraising so that those who lose their jobs, take significant time off from work, or who go to prison for long periods will have funds to support themselves and provide for their families. It will mean creating free medical care networks so that people in the movement will have access to health care. It will mean creating food networks to provide food for those who are protesting day after day, and for families of those who are imprisoned or lose their jobs. It will mean creating networks of childcare. It will mean creating a transportation network, including carpools, donations of frequent flyer miles, movement cars and vans, caravans, and buses, to be available for the kind of sustained civil disobedience actions we will need. And last and most important it will mean simple companionship – the incalculable gift of camaraderie and friendship, the healing nature of laughter and hugs, the deliberate creation of a network of communities of love spread far and wide – healers, body workers, artists, musicians, actors, facilitators, counselors, those called by spirit, nonviolent communicators, restorative justice facilitators – all of us will be needed – to see us all through the hard times that will come if we do this kind of sustained direct action.

5) Jail Solidarity – rather than trying to construct civil disobedience actions so people spend the least amount of time in jail and cooperate with the police and court system to the full extent, we will follow the lead of those who have come before us. Instead, those who can, will use jail solidarity as a tactic. Jail solidarity means that those who get arrested will not bring identification with them, won’t give their name, and will not cooperate while in jail. As more and more people are arrested, the jailers and those they protect will not know what to do. At first they will threaten, try to divide, offer deals, or even beat people or put them in solitary confinement to break their wills. But those who will get arrested will know this going in and will commit to maintaining their solidarity. They can’t jail us all and if we don’t cooperate the system will not work, if there are thousands of us. Their actions will further highlight the illegitimacy and cruelty of this system that lets the CEO of BP walk free but will jail and do worse to those who are only trying to protect life. Jail solidarity combined with more arrests, demonstrations, encampments, community involvement, and a network of communities of nonviolent resistance offering material support are unstoppable.

6) Escalation: A Promise – Too often when we don’t succeed, we don’t escalate. Too often when they escalate their attacks against the planet and all living beings, we don’t escalate. (Have you noticed that all of our victories are temporary and defensive, and all our losses permanent and offensive?) No more. If our actions do not succeed, we promise to escalate. We will regroup, reorganize, and go for more than before, risking more and holding nothing back. We promise they will lose more money and we will get stronger and fight harder.

This is our chance. We can use our energy and love to stop the 1% who are literally killing us, stealing from us, and destroying the only home we have. Our bodies will be our demands. And with our bodies, we will stop the 1% together, permanently.

These are just thoughts. Not a plan. But we hope it’s the start of a conversation about how we can do some version of this. The 1% don’t really own or control anything. They do what they do because they have guns and we allow them to. But that can all change.

We are in the midst of a decisive battle in the face of a potentially terminal crackdown. Over the past 72 hours the army has launched a ceaseless assault on revolutionaries in Tahrir Square and squares across Egypt. Over 2000 of us have been injured. More than 30 of us have been murdered. Just in Cairo alone. In the last 48 hours.

Tahrir Square last night (Nov 21)

But the revolutionaries keep coming. Hundreds of thousands are in Tahrir and in other squares across the country. We are facing down their gas, cudgels, shotguns and machine-gun fire. The army and police attack again and again, but we are holding the lines, holding them back. The dead and wounded are carried away on foot or motorbikes and others take their place.

The violence will escalate – for WE WILL NOT MOVE. The junta does not want to give up its power. We want the junta gone.

The future of the revolution hangs in the balance; those of us in the square are ready to die for freedom and social justice. The butchers attacking us are willing to kill us to stay in control.

This is not about elections or a constitution, neither of which will change the authoritarianism and violence coming down around us. Neither is this is about a so-called “transition” to democracy that has seen the consolidation of a military junta and the betrayal of the revolution by political forces. This is about a revolution, a complete revolution. The people demand the fall of the regime, and will stop at nothing short of that to achieve their freedom.

Foreign governments are paying lip-service to ‘human rights’ while they deal with the junta, shaking hands and legitimizing them with empty rhetoric. The US is still sending $1.2 billion in military aid to the Egyptian military. The army and police rely on tear gas, bullets and weapons from abroad. No doubt their stock has been replenished by US and other governments over the last nine months. Stock will run low again.

We ask you to take action:

Occupy / shut-down Egyptian embassies worldwide. Now they represent the junta ; reclaim them for the Egyptian people.

Shut down the arms dealers. Do not let them make it, ship it.

Shut down the part of your government dealing with the Egyptian junta.

The revolution continues, because we have no other choice.

From Tahrir Square / 22 November / 14:00

Mosireen, Comrades from Cairo, Defend the Revolution

Links:

A photograph of US-Made tear gas canisters, featuring the address of the manufacturer, Combined Tactical Systems, in Jamestown, Pennsylvania

Video of Egyptian army soldiers dumping the bodies of the murdered into trash piles

Hello general public and citizens of the world, this is a message from Anonymous.Unfortunately, we have reached the point where corporate imperialism has conquered America's political system and corrupted it to the point where politicians are now mere puppets. The American bill of Rights and Constitution are being defiled every single day, and the American Government is exceptionally good at distracting us in the process. By now most of you have heard of the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect I P Act, but The United States Chamber of Commerce continues to negotiate, despite Yahoo willfully removing itself from the Chamber of Commerce. Google is now threatening to do the same.

The creators of the internet did not expect it to become a double edged sword, and when the governments around the world realized that this invention can potentially damage them more then benefit them, they have tried to stop it by any means necessary. Remember that you are also Anonymous, anyone and everyone watching this is a member of Anonymous. All of you, despite race, religion, ideals and preferences, feel the insatiable hunger, deep inside of you, to destroy evil and protect the innocent. You feel the urge to just say no, and do as you wish, for you are supposedly free. You all crave real freedom, as does Anonymous, and you can have it if you wish. But like anything, it won't come to you, you must go out and get it.

Some of you are simply surfing the internet, and some have created vessels and battle ships to take on the harsh oceans of the internet. Both will be critically damaged by these bills.

I am writing this message because this is something very important to me, and it needs global recognition. Please help however you can, use the feeling deep inside of you to make a better world for the next generation, our children, and their children. People are sleeping in the streets, being beaten, pepper sprayed and shot to protect your freedoms. Recognize that, feel the emotions inside of you instead of letting them fade, while watching television and surfing the internet. You are beautiful and brilliant, but you aren't showing it. Your thoughts are amazing and creative, and yet they go unheard. Your ideas are unique, and yet they are never known. This is what the internet is for, expressing yourself and sharing yourself with everyone across the globe.

We, Anonymous, are asking you to take advantage of the freedom of the internet while it lasts, because it may very well change soon. Do not let this happen. The internet is beautiful, ugly, scathing, irresponsible, positive, negative, spiteful and everything else, but that is what makes it so necessary and effective. This is our playground, and we will keep it.

To all who support internet censorship across the globe:

You will fail, be laughed at, ridiculed, and be made fun of in future history classes.

We Are Anonymous.We are Legion.We do not forgive.We do not forget.Expect us.

Trader Alessio Rastani who shocked the media & public earlier this year by claiming that Goldman Sachs rule the World speaking in the Occupy London's 'Bank of Ideas' showing his support for the occupy movement and sharing his thoughts on the financial crisis.http://www.bankofideas.org.uk

Last week it was reported that China - which has a global monopoly on the production of rare-earth metals - is now threatening to cut off vital supplies to the West. A shortage would jeopardise the manufacturing and development of green technologies such as wind turbines and low-energy lightbulbs. RICHARD JONES is the first Western journalist to visit the rare-earth mines in Inner Mongolia to discover why China is unwilling to give up its precious elements...>> more... >>

The U.S. Air Force paid Lockheed Martin – the federal contractor that is first in funding, first in fraud, and principal beneficiary of the $1 trillion F-35 boondoggle that eclipsed their F-22 disaster – about 412 million taxpayer dollars each for their problem-plagued and now program-cancelled F-22 fighter jets. With some 170 [Cr|R]aptors still “in service” – but never once used in combat anywhere in the world – that’s over 70 billion taxpayer dollars paid to Lockheed for planes that have been absolutely useless militarily. And what did our Pentagon decide to do last week to remedy the situation? Why, GIVE LOCKHEED MARTIN ANOTHER $7.4 BILLION to “upgrade” their grounded F-22 fleet, of course!

Lately there has been some obscurity around what ODS actually stands for and what it’s internal principles or tenets are as a movement. This obscurity is to blame, in part, by aggressive attempts at ‘pushing the party line’ or usage of entryist tactics at General Assemblies by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). These attempts have sewn a paranoia in the camp. It seems, as a result, that there is an atmosphere of distrust and distaste for anything left-wing that has been previously trying to achieve progressive change. To take a critical look at this obscurity, we have to refer back to the original press release which presumably still stands as the cornerstone of the movement’s principles.

A popular Chinese blogger and Internet celebrity has led a protest against German company Siemens. The demonstration saw a group of netizens publicly smashing their refrigerators that they say are fault products.

Luo Yonghao has nearly 1.2 million followers on his microblog--a Chinese Twitter-like service. Recently, he's used this platform to express his anger over what he says are faulty products in his home, from the German homeware company Siemens.

Other likeminded netizens assembled in front of the company's Beijing headquarters, displaying disappointment with their fridges by destroying them. With hammers and a good deal of enthusiasm, they made quick work of the products.

The main complaint was that the refrigerator doors were difficult to close, and that Siemens has not responded to repair requests. Indeed, many were angrier over the company's perceived lack of responsibility than about the products themselves.

[Geng, Protester]:"We used to think that Siemens refrigerators would work well and German products would be quite sturdy. But it really has this minor problem. It's a minor problem, so it's okay if it acknowledges it, but it shouldn't deny its problem and say consumers aren't using its products properly."

Siemens representatives have so far continued to say that, rather than a product flaw, what was at issue in the current controversy was just "different consumer expectations."

The US media may be many awful things, but no one could ever accuse them of not being consistent- at least when it comes to certain subject areas; US-NATO-Chechen joint terrorism operations being one. The censorship of this topic goes to such extremes where even modified-sanitized-pasteurized versions of related events and facts are nowhere to be found in the US media. Let me list a few globally known and reported facts, then add a few twos and twos and twos together, and see whether you can find any traces of that in the US mainstream media:

Assassinations of Chechen Terrorist Leaders in Turkey

The following was reported by British paper Telegraph in September this year:

The triple murder was carried out by a lone gunman in less than thirty seconds using a 9mm pistol fitted with a silencer. It brought the number of Chechens assassinated in the Turkish city in the last four years to at least six. The gunman pumped eleven bullets into the three men in a busy Istanbul street before speeding off in a black getaway car.

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Roots

Revelation 13

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy...

...And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?...

Mark 13

And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.